Halloween....kind-of

Halloween isn't really "celebrated" here, though you can find lots of costumes and decorations. This mom did her best to make the day "Halloweeny" for the kids (okay, they could care less at this age, so it was more for her than them). We carved pumpkins, made pumpkin shaped pizzas (they looked better in real life), and sort-of dressed up. Ike was a hunter (since he was mad about not being able to go), and Elle wore a cape that someone gave us. We thought she looked like Little Red Riding Hood. Oh, and for you Andy fans, he made it into one of the pics just for you guys!

Elle's new trick

A, K, and I were eating supper and E got awfully quiet. We looked over and saw that she had pulled herself up so that she could dig into her basket of toys. She is getting too smart. Next thing we knew, the basket was tipped over and she had her favorite toy out!

On a side note, Andy forgot to snap her onesie. Cute, huh?!?!?

Mom, she's thirsty

Ike's new favorite...sharing his juice or water with Elle. How can we discourage sharing? Besides, she likes it! So far she hasn't gotten anything from the straw, but she sure likes drinking from the cup.

Tricky

Ike woke up from his nap yesterday and quietly walked down the steps and grabbed the bucket of Halloween treats. All this without me even hearing him. This is what I saw when I looked up from the sink. Tricky!!!

What do you mean I can't go hunting with Bapa and Uncle Kyle???

Ike heard that Grandpa K and Uncle Kyle were going hunting this weekend and pulled out his blaze orange hat. He wasn't too happy when I told him that he couldn't go with!

Sitting Pretty

Elle is starting to master sitting up. Today she did it while wearing a new dress from Grandma K. The headband only stayed on long enough to snap the picture, then it was in her mouth. Yummy!

Ike's new hair

This morning Mom was using a little hairspray and Ike thought he should have some.....so, I put some in his hair and spiked it! It looked cute, but made me realize that he REALLY needed a haircut! So, that came next.

Elle's new stats

Elle had her 6 month check-up today. She is now 27 inches long and weighs 18 lbs....that puts her in the 75th percentile for both. She is also following in her brother's footsteps...she has a big head. Her head circumference is in the 97th percentile! Wow!

Nanliau

Sunday evening we headed to the beach, Nanliau, to watch the sunset and let Isaak run around. What a beautiful night, cool and VERY breezy! Noelle got to ride in the backpack for the first time. We think that she liked it.

Ish!!!

These are the little critters that both Andy and Kris despise. COCKROACHES! They like to come into the homes here at night and chew on ANYTHING! We don't get too many thanks to spray and traps, but this little one happened to crawl into our house last night and we found it perched on the ceiling (if I can say "perched"). Sadly, this little guy is no longer living, he is in cockroach heaven. Sorry little fella!

Isaak

Our neighbor took Isaak to the park the other day and got some really cute shots of him. Here are a couple we thought we'd share. One really shows how tall he got over the summer. There is a shot of him riding in one of the neighbor kid's remote control cars. He LOVED that!

Noelle at Mid-Autumn Festival

Noelle really wanted to try some rice! Don't worry, she didn't get any. Soon!

Mid-autumn Festival

This weekend we joined in the mid-autumn festival activities. Basically, everyone sits outside and grills, Chinese style. Saturday night we sat out with our neighbors and had all kinds of grilled meat, tofu, vegies, fish, seafood, and who knows what else. It was lots of fun!

Isaac, this one is for you!

Here's Andy! He took this picture just for you!

Watch out, she's on the move!!!

About a week ago Noelle started crawling. Yesterday we found she had crawled right under the couch. She was probably going after a pair of shoes. They seem to be her favorite "toy" these days. I guess they must taste pretty good!

Still Swimming

It's hard for a Minnesota girl to believe that it's the end of September and her kids are still using their swimming pool. Yesterday Elle joined Ike in the fun! She was laughing up a storm as Ike splashed around in the water!

Weekend Away

We just returned from the CLB Annual Convention. It was held at a beautiful hotel in the "hills" about 30min from our home! We took the opportunity to take a few shots of the kids.

Man, does she make me tired!!

Noelle likes to play with Isaak's toys, but he doesn't really like it too much. He spends much of his time taking them away from her. Today all the work was just too much for him, and he crashed on the floor! She thought it was pretty funny!

Looking pretty

Elle is sporting another new outfit (well bigger size)! Mom thought she looked pretty cute in it, so decided another picture was needed. There's a sweater to go with it, but being that it is still around 90 degrees here, she hasn't needed it yet!

The Move Has Begun

Ike has finally decided that it is okay to give up his high chair so his sister can use it. I think he feels like a big boy when he gets to sit in a regular chair. Elle really likes her new chair (and the food she gets while in it)!

You want me to touch this stuff???

Isaak played with play-doh for the first time (thanks to A & A). He didn't know if he really wanted to touch it though. He actually looked at it and said "yuck". He did warm up to the stuff, and by the end was making spaghetti out it.

Sweet Potatoes....Yummy!!!

Noelle had her first taste of vegies this week. She started with sweet potatoes and she LOVES them!!!

A few pics from our trip

Adorable!

Noelle is now 16.5lbs and 25 in., so even though she isn't 6 months yet, I've been putting her in some of her 6-9 month clothes. They are a little long, but oh so adorable on her! This outfit she got from Grandma B. Thanks Grandma!

It's Cereal Time!!!

Noelle is now 5 months old, so we decided to start her on cereal. She LOVES it! She gets a big smile on her face when she sees the spoon coming! In fact, if I take too long to get the next spoonful into her mouth, she cries.

Chinese Co-workers Retreat

This week we went on a retreat with our co-workers. We traveled to the center of the island, up into the mountains, and then down to the seashore. We took a tourbus up a mountain which was 10,000 feet above sea level (where we started from). It was beautiful! We didn't get to do any hiking because it was raining at the top, but we did get to enjoy very cool temps....48F! The coolest we've had in a long time!!!

Isaak and Noelle had a great time on our retreat, though they did miss out on some much needed sleep! Noelle got lots of attention from almost everyone! Isaak loved riding on what he calls a "choo-choo". This translates to either a bus or a train. In this case it was a bus.

We're grilling what??

We had a new experience with grilling. As many of you know, Andy and I really DON'T like seafood! It is very popular here, for obvious reasons. Well, Wednesday we went to the seashore and took a little boat ride in the harbor. Afterwards, we grilled oysters. To most people, this is not a big deal. To us....well, a waste of charcoal. We tried to avoid eating them, but a very nice lady asked me (Kris) if I wanted to try one. So, I took a deep breath and bit in. It wasn't too bad when covered with a horseradish/soy type sauce. So, as not to be outdone, Andy decided to give it a try as well. He was successful in taking a bite without losing whatever was in his belly! "Now", as one of the pastors there said, "you are real missionaries"!

We decided not to try the roasted snails after hearing all the sucking necessary to get the things out of their shells!! As the children of some friends here say, "we only try one weird food a day."

Sunday Drive

Sunday we went "exploring." We followed the West Coast Expressway south! It was a beautiful view of the Taiwan Strait. Isaak took a moment to sit and enjoy the view (yes, just one). Noelle enjoyed it in the shade of her stroller. We had to stop and enjoy some nice cold ice with passion fruit and strawberry (not in the same bowl). Very refreshing!

Is that a shark????

My brother, Kyle, went muskie fishing the other day. Check out the mammoth muskie he caught! It's almost as big as him. He sent me this pic and I just had to let everyone see!

Grandma, We Have a Problem

Isaak meets Mr. Ed

Isaak met his first horse this past week. He was in awe of the magestic creatures!

A Week in the Life